Patterned axminster fabrics and method of making the same



Patented Sept. 8, 1931 UNITED STATES SETTS WILLIAM HILL COOPER, OLE AMSTERDAM, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO BIGELOW-SANFORD CARPET 00., INC., A CORPORATION OF MASSACHU PATTERNED AXMINSTER FABRICS AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME 1\To Drawing. Application filed June 27,

The present invention relates to patterned Axminster fabrics and to a method of making the same and an object of the invention is to provide a quality patterned fabric or closely woven patterned fabric without pattern distortion.

To these and other ends, the invention con sists of certain parts and combinations of parts, all of which will be hereinafter described; the novel features being pointed out in the appended claims.

In the making of Axminster fabrics such as rugs and carpets, it is customary to carry the tuft or pile forming wool or yarn on a large number of spools moved by means of a transporting chain to a wiping-in point and through tube frames associated with the spools to direct the yarn on the spools to the fabric being woven. Each spool, especially in patterned fabrics, has, in most instances, a large number of strands of different color combinations and the strands from each spool, when wiped into the fabric, produce what is known as a pattern line. After each pattern line is wiped-in a beating mechanism operates on the pattern line last wipedin to cause it to be forced into close assemblage with the pattern lines previously wiped-in the fabric. The amount of this beating action is usually determined by the amount of the take up of a take-up mechanism which advances the completed fabric after each wiping-in of a pattern line. Heretofore, substantially ten pattern lines have been considered the maximum that could be laid in a patterned fabric without producing a distortion of the pattern. The greater the number of pattern lines laid per inch the closer becomes the weave and the better the quality of the fabric. If, however, more than ten pattern lines per inch were heretofore employed in a patterned fabric, the pattern would become distorted. Circles would become ellipses, squares would become elongated and rectangles and other figures would be similarly flattened.

According to this invention, a patterned Axminster fabric is obtained in which the pattern lines per inch may be materially in- 1928. Serial No. 288,810.

creased without producing any distortion or unsymmetry in the pattern.

This result is accomplished by operating the weaving machine so that the yarn from each spool successively wipes-in a plurality of times, say two or three, while at the same time the beating action of the beating mechanism is increased preferably by slowing down the action of the take-up mechanism. In other words, as each spool is brought with 1 its tube frame to wiping-in position, it is operated a plurality of successive times in each unit of take-up or cloth advance from the inserting point so that the color combination of each spool is repeated one or more times in succession in the completed fabric.

In order that the beating action of the beating mechanism may be increased so as to compensate for the increased number of pattern lines per inch, the take-up action is preferablysloweddown in proportion to the number of successive wiping-in actions of each tube frame. In other words, if each tube frame wipes-in two successive pattern lines, then the speed of the take-up mechanism for each of the repeated pattern lines is reduced one-half, whereas, if each tube frame wipesin three lines, then the speed of the take-up mechanism for each of the repeated pattern lines is one-third of that which it would be if only one pattern line were wiped-in by each tube frame. lhis in effect doubles the beating acting of the beating mechanism when each tube frame wipes-in two pattern lines and trebles the beating action of the beating mechanism when each tube frame wipes-in three pattern lines. To the end that the pattern lines may be packed more closely together, the weft threadsof the fab ric are smaller in diameter than those usually employed in Axminster fabrics.

A patterned Axminster carpet constructed in accordance with this invention has the color combinations of its pattern lines dupliquality fabric without being unsymmetrical. What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a method of making patterned Ax- -minster fabrics the steps which consist in wiping-in the yarn from each spool successively a plurality of times in a unit of fabric advance or take-up, and beating each re peat of the pattern line between each wiping-i-n operation an increased amount to maintain a symmetrical pattern.

2. The method which consists in providing a plurality of spools having color combinations which if wipedin successively would produce a symmetrical pattern, under normal beating action, wiping-in theyarn from each spool a plurality of times, and beating the patterned lines between each wiped-in operation an increased amount above normal to maintain the symmetrical pattern which would be produced by a single wiping-in operation of each spool.

3. A patterned Axminster fabric having pattern lines each of which has at least one repeat or duplicate color combination the elements of the composite line being condensed longitudinally of the fabric to maintain symmetry of the pattern, the color combinations being such that they would form the same symmetrical pattern if not duplicated and condensed.

4. The method which consists in providing a plurality of spools having color combinations which, if wiped in successively, would produce a symmetrical pattern under normal beating action, wiping-in the yarns from a spool while slowing up the rate below normal at which the fabric is removed from the weaving point, beating up the line of tufts formed, repeating the wiping-in, slowing up, and beating up operations of the yarns from the same spool one or more times, whereby a more symmetrical pattern than that produced by the single wiping-in op eration of each spool is secured.

5. A patterned Axminster fabric having pattern lines each of which has at least one duplicate color combination next thereto, the color combinations being such that they would form the same symmetrical pattern if not repeated, each group of pattern lines occupying a space equal substantially to the normal space of one pattern line so that a symmetric pattern is obtained from the grouped lines like that which would be produced from single pattern lines.

6,. A patterned pile fabric having trans verse pattern lines formed of repeats of the same color combination in the unit of space longitudinally of the fabric normally occu pied by a single pattern line to thereby maintain symmetry of the pattern in the condensed repeats and the close weave of a quality fabric.

VILLIAM HILL COOPER. 

